Post delivery, new mothers need to take proper care of themselves. Experts advise them to have light and digestable food and indulge in oil massages.
There has been a baby fever last week with the Duchess of Cambridge giving birth to her first son, George Alexander Louis, and other celebrities like Penelope Cruz and Nancy Juvonen also joining the motherhood gang.
With the new-born around, these young mothers need a lot of attention and Anjum Anand, TV chef, food writer and mother of two, shares her top health and diet tips for the new mums. “After childbirth, the body is depleted and according to Ayurveda, the digestive system is weak as there is a vata imbalance which gets aggravated by lack of sleep and erratic eating patterns. This needs to be rebalanced. As well as healing the body’s tissues and balancing energy levels, it is also important for new mums to eat the right foods for breastfeeding,” she added.
Here are some tips for an ideal post-pregnancy routine from Anand
*Daily oil massages for both mum and baby are not only great for skin but are also good for bringing mum’s energy back into balance and for strengthening the baby.
*Cook with a little ghee instead of oil — this is good for restoring depleted energy and strengthening tissue.
*Try eating really simple and easy to digest foods like soups, stews, porridges, rice and lentil dishes. What a mother eats when she breastfeeds is also what the baby has to digest, so keep it simple and light.
*Drink a lot of fluids, ideally water. Boil two litres of water with a tablespoon of fennel seeds in the morning, leave to cool and strain into a bottle and sip throughout the day. Fennel seeds are known to help with production of breast milk.
*Rest is very important. It is thought that the body takes 40 days to heal properly.
*Dairy products will help with breast milk production.
*Try adding turmeric to your food as it has healing properties.
*Ginger is considered very good for the body post labour, so include lots of ginger in your food, soups and tea.
*Try to avoid eating foods that are too spicy, especially if you are breastfeeding.
*Nuts and dry fruits nourish the body and help produce breast milk.
*Call in favours with supportive friends and family. Support is so important during the first few months for proper healing, both physical and mental.